Transmission (song)

"Transmission"
"Transmission"
	7" cover
Single by Joy Division
B-side	"Novelty"
Released	16 November 1979
Recorded	28 July – 4 August 1979
Genre	Post-punk; neo-psychedelia; punk rock; art rock;
Length	3:36
Label	Factory
Songwriter(s)	Ian Curtis; Peter Hook; Stephen Morris; Bernard Sumner;
Producer(s)	Martin Hannett
Joy Division singles chronology
Alternative cover
	12" cover
Music video
	"Transmission" on YouTube

"Transmission" is a song by English post-punk band Joy Division. Originally recorded in 1978 for the band's aborted self-titled album, it was later re-recorded the following year at a faster tempo and released by record label Factory as the band's debut single.

Release

"Transmission" was released on 7" vinyl on 16 November 1979 by record label Factory. It was re-released as a 12" single with a different sleeve on 20 February 1981.^[8] The single charted twice in New Zealand, debuting at number 2 in September 1981 and re-appearing again at number 24 in July 1984.

The song was performed once by the band on television, for the BBC Something Else programme. Twenty seconds of the song is shown in the movie Control (2007), directed by Anton Corbijn, a film based on the biography of Ian's wife, Deborah Curtis's Touching from a Distance.

Reception

Greil Marcus has a chapter on this song in his book The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs.^[9] According to Marcus, "'Transmission' is not an argument. It's a dramatization of the realization that the act of listening to the radio is a suicidal gesture. It will kill your mind. It will rob your soul."^[10] Marcus also quotes the band's bassist Peter Hook about the importance of this song: "We were doing a soundcheck at the Mayflower, in May, and we played 'Transmission': people had been moving around, and they all stopped to listen. I realized that was our first great song."^[11]^{[n 1]}

Legacy

In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Transmission" at number 20 in its list of the 50 "Greatest Indie Anthems Ever",^[13] one place below "Love Will Tear Us Apart". In 2016, Pitchfork placed "Transmission" at number 10 in its list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s".^[14]

Cover versions

"Transmission" has been covered by: Low (on its EP Transmission); Bauhaus (as well as by frontman Peter Murphy on his solo tours); Innerpartysystem; The Weather Station; Girl in a Coma; and Hot Chip on the 2009 War Child charity album Heroes. It was played by The Smashing Pumpkins on their Adore Tour in 1998, with performances of the song usually lasting from 15 to 25 minutes.^[15]^[16] It was also covered by the cast of Control, a biographical film about the life of Ian Curtis.^[17] In 2009, the song was covered by Russian post-punk group Последние танки в Париже as "Радиоволна", in 2012 by Italian black metal band Forgotten Tomb, by Nomeansno, and by BadBadNotGood with the song "Mass Appeal" on their debut album, BBNG.

Track listing

Both tracks written by Joy Division.^[18]

7"/12"

"Transmission" – 3:36
"Novelty" – 3:59

Notes

^ In 2018, Peter Hook would recollect that on the first occasion the band had played "Transmission" at a gig, the entire audience at the venue ceased "literally what they were doing to listen and to turn round and watch us".^[12]

References

^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 56.
^ Hook, Peter (2012). Unknown Pleasures. Simon & Schuster. p. 219. ISBN 978-1-4711-4833-0.
^ Alexander, Phil (1 April 2014). "20 Great Post-Punk Tracks". Mojo. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
^ David N. Howard (1 June 2004). Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings. Hal Leonard. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4768-5209-6. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Routine is the Enemy of Music: Post-punk". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 486. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
^ https://www.patjenkinson.com/write-musecrit-jdtransmission.html"The bass riff embodies the dichotomy between punk rock and Krautrock"
^ Bradley, Larry (4 November 2014). "The 1970s: Joy Division - "Transmission". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
^ "Transmission".
^ Marcus, Greil (2014). The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs. New Heaven & London: Yale University Press.
^ Marcus, Greil (2014). The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs. New Heaven & London: Yale University Press. p. 33.
^ Marcus, Greil (2014). The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs. New Heaven & London: Yale University Press. p. 38.
^ radiox.co.uk
^ Staff (2 May 2007). "The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever – Number One is getting close". NME. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
^ Staff (22 August 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
^ "tour history – dates : 1998-05-02". Spfc.org. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
^ Adam Woods, Humbling response delays Heroes, Music Week (accessed 8 January 2009).
^ Andy Kellman (30 October 2007). "Control [Original Soundtrack] – Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
^ "ASCAP ACE – Search Results". Archived from the original on 15 February 2006. Retrieved 12 July 2011.

Sources

Hewitt, Ben (15 July 2015). "Joy Division: 10 of the Best". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
Hook, Peter (2013). Unknown Pleasures. Inside Joy Division. London: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4711-2980-3.
Morris, Stephen (2019). Record Play Pause: Confessions of a Post-Punk Percussionist: the Joy Division Years: Volume I. Constable. ISBN 978-1-4721-2620-7.
Ott, Chris (2004). Unknown Pleasures (33⅓ series ed.). New York City: Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-441-13555-1.
Savage, Jon (2014). So This is Permanence: Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-5713-0955-9.
Savage, Jon (21 July 1979). "Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures". Melody Maker. Retrieved 6 October 2003.
Zagorski-Thomas, Simon (2019). The Art of Record Production: Creative Practice in the Studio. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-1382-0516-1.

External links

"Transmission" at Discogs (list of releases)
"Transmission" official music video on YouTube
Usage in film and television: see "Joy Division – Soundtrack. 'Transmission'" at the Internet Movie Database

[13] In 2018, Peter Hook would recollect that on the first occasion the band had played "Transmission" at a gig, the entire audience at the venue ceased "literally what they were doing to listen and to turn round and watch us".^[12]

[1] "Music Week" (PDF). p. 56.

[2] Hook, Peter (2012). Unknown Pleasures. Simon & Schuster. p. 219. ISBN 978-1-4711-4833-0.

[3] Alexander, Phil (1 April 2014). "20 Great Post-Punk Tracks". Mojo. Retrieved 23 August 2016.

[4] David N. Howard (1 June 2004). Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings. Hal Leonard. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4768-5209-6. Retrieved 8 November 2015.

[Stanley_2013-5] Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Routine is the Enemy of Music: Post-punk". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 486. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.

[6] ttps://www.patjenkinson.com/write-musecrit-jdtransmission.html"The bass riff embodies the dichotomy between punk rock and Krautrock"

[Bradley_2014-7] Bradley, Larry (4 November 2014). "The 1970s: Joy Division - "Transmission". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.

[8] "Transmission".

[9] Marcus, Greil (2014). The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs. New Heaven & London: Yale University Press.

[10] Marcus, Greil (2014). The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs. New Heaven & London: Yale University Press. p. 33.

[11] Marcus, Greil (2014). The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs. New Heaven & London: Yale University Press. p. 38.

[12] radiox.co.uk

[14] Staff (2 May 2007). "The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever – Number One is getting close". NME. Retrieved 15 October 2016.

[15] Staff (22 August 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 December 2016.

[16] "tour history – dates : 1998-05-02". Spfc.org. Retrieved 15 October 2016.

[17] Adam Woods, Humbling response delays Heroes, Music Week (accessed 8 January 2009).

[18] Andy Kellman (30 October 2007). "Control [Original Soundtrack] – Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2016.

[19] "ASCAP ACE – Search Results". Archived from the original on 15 February 2006. Retrieved 12 July 2011.

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v t e Joy Division
Ian Curtis Bernard Sumner Peter Hook Stephen Morris
Studio albums	Unknown Pleasures Closer
Extended plays	An Ideal for Living The Peel Sessions (1986 and 1987)
Compilation albums	Warsaw Still Substance Peel Sessions Permanent Heart and Soul The Complete BBC Recordings Martin Hannett's Personal Mixes The Best of Joy Division Total: From Joy Division to New Order
Live albums	Preston 28 February 1980 Les Bains Douches 18 December 1979
Songs	"Warsaw" "Digital" "Disorder" "She's Lost Control" "Shadowplay" "Transmission" "Komakino" "Dead Souls" "Atmosphere" "Atrocity Exhibition" "Isolation" "New Dawn Fades" "Love Will Tear Us Apart" "Ceremony"
Related	Discography New Order Rob Gretton Touching from a Distance Control Joy Division A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division Earcom 2: Contradiction